Classic Adventure Reading

I just finished reading "The Worst Journey in the World". This is a true classic polar adventure that was exciting to read as I am following some of the same paths as the author and his fellow expedition teammates. While browsing the web I see that it is listed as number one in the "100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time" by National Geographic. Of course my life here isn't as harsh as Cherry-Garrard but the conditions still exist. I have also read books and journals by Ross, Shackleton, Scott, Amundsen, and Byrd.

Extreme Classics: The 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time

A list we had hoped our readers would enjoy turned out to be one of the most popular features in Adventure's five-year history. You asked for it—repeatedly—now you got it: the 100 Greatest in all their glory.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0404/adventure_books_1-19.html

1. The Worst Journey in the World, by Apsley Cherry-Garrard (1922) As War and Peace is to novels, so is The Worst Journey in the World to the literature of polar travel: the one to beat. The author volunteered as a young man to go to the Antarctic with Robert Falcon Scott in 1910; that, and writing this book, are the only things of substance he ever did in life. They were enough. The expedition set up camp on the edge of the continent while Scott waited to go for the Pole in the spring. But first, Cherry-Garrard and two other men set out on a midwinter trek to collect emperor penguin eggs. It was a heartbreaker: three men hauling 700 pounds (318 kilograms) of gear through unrelieved darkness, with temperatures reaching 50, 60, and 70 degrees below zero (-46, -51, and -57 degrees Celsius); clothes frozen so hard it took two men to bend them. But Cherry-Garrard's greater achievement was to imbue everything he endured with humanity and even humor. And—as when he describes his later search for Scott and the doomed South Pole team—with tragedy as well. His book earns its preeminent place on this list by captivating us on every level: It is vivid; it is moving; it is unforgettable.
National Geographic Books, 2002.

To change it up a bit I am currently reading:

The days seem to fly by. 

On Monday I attended the weekly science lecture series. This week's topic was about the LIDAR project here in Antarctica.

LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging, also LADAR) is an optical remote sensing technology that can measure the distance to, or other properties of a target by illuminating the target with light, often using pulses from a laser. LIDAR technology has application in geomatics, archaeology, geography, geology, geomorphology, seismology, forestry, remote sensing and atmospheric physics,^[1] as well as in airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM), laser altimetry and LIDAR contour mapping.

The LIDAR is contained in this Arrival Heights building down the road from the 10 meter radome I work on. The laser pulses are shot into the sky and bounce off the iron rich atmosphere for climate research.

Tuesday evening was volleyball and Wednesday evening was hiking with friends to Hut Point for star gazing.  I was paged twice last night for the aurora alert and came out once to see a small aurora over the sound. After working inside one of the radomes this morning (up on a hill away from any light) we were greeted by a beautiful aurora that stretched about 90 degrees. It was dazzling. But since I wasn't able to get a picture it didn't exist!


This afternoon I walked to Hut Point in the disappearing light.

The light at noon.

The 10 meter radome and a bright star.

Speaking of adventure I have read several books about people rowing across oceans in 24 foot rowing boats as it is something I have an interest in. I have been following a young British woman's London to London human powered adventure around the world. She has biked, kayaked, and is now rowing from Japan to Canada. Her trip really is fascinating and she uploads daily updates.


http://www.sarahouten.com/


It is a very nice day:

	-18°C|-0.4°F Temperature
	-28°C|-18.4°F Wind Chill

Regional Summary	5/24/2012 5:00:57 AM
Stars abound this morning and winds are light as today is almost perfect for this time of the year. Temperatures will be starting the downslide today and will be cold by tomorrow. Some spotty fog or low clouds coming from the open water may be a hindrance from time to time but isn’t likely. Stay Warm McMurdo......